Pivoted target member



\ Sept; 16, 1947.

B, WHITEHOUSE 'PIVOTD y TARGET MEMBER Filed v. 29, 1944' INVEHTOR BMM Patented Sept. 16, 1947 UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE Application. November 29, 1944, Serial No. 565,615

In Great Britain December 13, 1943 5 claims. (C1. 273-127) This invention relates to apparatus for playn ing a gam-e of the kind comprising a frame adapted to stand on a playing surface and having a rod upon which are suspended a num-l b'er of playing pieces which can be made to rotate or swing over on the rod by a ball or other missile projected along the playing surface.

The object of the present invention is toV pro- Vide certain improvements ingame apparatus of this character.

The invention is illustrated? in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view showing one form of the apparatus.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Figure l.

In the construction illustrated the support for the playing pieces may consist of a wooden or other frame having two end members Ill adapted to stand on the floor or table connected together by a top member II of wood or other material, thus forming a frame. `Each of the end members I has pivoted to it at I2 an arm I3, .this arm being capable of being moved into a horizontal position in which it abuts against a stop I4, or of being moved into a vertical position as shown in chain dot lines in Figure 1 to enable the apparatus to be backed into a small space. When extended the arms I3 project at opposite sides of the frame.

Means may be provided for spacing the playing pieces I5 apart laterally and also for spacing the end playing pieces away from the inner surfaces of the end members I ll of the frame and such spacing means may consist of a body I6 made of sheet material and secured to the upper surface of the top II of the frame, this body having a number of V-shaped depending loops Il which project downwardly and engage around the lower of alrod I8 between the playing pieces I5 which are suspended on the rod.

The playing pieces I5 may be made of sheet material such as cardboard and each may consist of three rectangular panels of equal size meeting and secured together, or formed integrally at their shorter edges, Thus each playing piece forms an equilateral triangular prism with the ends missing.

The playing pieces are freely suspended upon the horizontal rod I8 and between the loops I1. Normally each playing piece hangs by its apex and its base is parallel to the floor or table and a suilicient distance from it to allow the playing piece to swing over on the rod I8 when one side of it is struck. v

Each of the three panels of each playing piece bearsi a mark of identcation which may take any form. The mark of identification may consist of a distinctive colour, a distinctive pattern marked in spots, lines or any other form, or the representation of a bird', beast or fish, or a tree, fruit, flower or any other subject.

. All the playing pieces have one face marked with the same mark of identification so that it is possible to arrange the playing pieces so that they all show the same mark of identification when viewed from one side of the frame.

If desired all the playing pieces may have a second face marked. with thesame mark of identification which however, may be different fromthe (mark of identification upon the rst set of' faces.

In use the apparatus is placed on the floor or table and two players or two groups of players take up positions at an equal distance on either side of it.

Balls I 9 are provided for the players Which can ble rolled over the floor and each side may play in turn, the object being to move the playing pieces until the faces directed towards the players all show the same mark of identification.

What I claim then is:

1. Apparatus for playing a game comprising a frame adapted to stand upon a playing surface, a supporting body of folded sheet material having a top member carried by the frame and spaced from the playing surface, a plurality of relatively spaced loops dependent from the top member, the loops being of V-shape, a rod supported in and by the loops, a plurality of spaced playing pieces formed as open ended prisms suspended freely on the rod, the playing pieces being adapted to be rotated on the rod or swung over by a ball or other missile projected along the playing surface from either side of the apparatus and emerging on the other side.

2. Apparatus for playing a game comprising a frame adapted to stand upon a playing surface, a supporting body of folded sheet 'material having a top member carried by the frame and spaced from the playing surface, a plurality of relatively spaced loops dependent from the top member, a rod supported in and by the loops, a plurality of spaced playing pieces formed as open ended prisms suspended freely on the rod, the playing pieces being adapted to be rotated on the rod or swu-ng over by a ball or other missile projected along the playing surface from either side of the apparatus and emerging on the other side, playing pieces being spaced from the frame and from each other by the intervening loops. 3. Apparatus for playing a game comprising a frame adapted to stand upon a playing surface, a supporting body of folded sheet material having a top member carried by the frame and spaced from the playing surface, a plurality of relatively spaced loops dependent from the top member, a rod supported in and by the loops, a plurality of spaced playing pieces formed as open ended prisms suspended freely on the rod, the playing pieces |being adapted to be rotated on the rod or swung over by a ball or other missile projected along the playing surface from either side of the apparatus and emerging on the other side, the playing pieces having marks of identication upon their exposed sides, all the playing pieces having the same mark of identification upon one face.

4. Apparatus for playing a game comprising a frame adapted to stand upon a playing surface, a supporting body of folded sheet material having a top member carried by the frame and spaced from the playing surface, a plurality of relatively spaced loops dependent from the top member, a rod supported in and by the loops, a plurality of spaced playing pieces formed as open ended prisms suspended freely on the rod, the playing pieces being adapted to be rotated on the rod or swung over by a ball or other Vmissile projected along the playing surface from either side of the apparatus and emerging on the other side, the frame including end members, each end member on its outer side and at its lower end having an arm shorter in length than the end member pivotally mounted thereon upon an axis parallel to the rod, a stop for each arm adapted to retain the arm in a definite angular position in relation to the end member to which it is attached, the said arms extending in opposite directions each in engagement with its positive stop when the apparatus is in use and the arms being foldable to be lengthwise along their respective end members when the apparatus is not in use.

5. Apparatus for playing a game comprising a frame adapted to stand upon a playing surface, a supporting body of folded sheet material having a top member carried by the vframe and spaced from its playing surface, a plurality of relatively spaced loops dependent from the top member, the loops being of V-shape, a rod supported in and by the loops, a plurality of spaced playing pieces formed as open ended prisms suspended freely on the rod, the playing pieces being adapted to be rotated on the rod or swung over by a ball or other missile projected along the playing surface from either side of the apparatus and emerging on the other side, playing pieces being spaced from the frame and from each other by the intervening loops.

BARBARA WI-IITEHOUSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 612,198 Elmer Oct. 11, 1898 971,626 Nelson Oct. 4, 1910 1,295,437 Cogswell Feb. 25, 1919 1,571,503 A Barber Feb. 3, 1926 2,159,760 Fitzgerald May 23, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 445,134 Great Britain Apr. 3, 1936 

